The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Nuclear deal

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Saturday, Aug 18, 2007
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Nuclear deal

This refers to the article “Taking stock of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal” (Aug. 17). The nation needs to be assured by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that it will not be pressured to help the U.S. in its efforts to achieve world hegemony. American pressure on our foreign policy and efforts to draw us into close military cooperation and, consequently, into a “bloc” situation, reinforce the need for a reworked version of non-alignment based, as earlier, on our national interest.

It has taken a statement from an American to sound the wake-up call for many who appear to have been taken in by the UPA government’s aggressive spin on the ‘benefits’ of the nuclear deal.

Harji Malik,

New Delhi

* * *

The statement by the U.S. State Department spokesman — that the deal will be terminated if New Delhi conducts an atomic test — has cast a big doubt on the implications of the 123 agreement.

The Prime Minister must clarify that we will not toe the U.S. line on Iran or any other issue, and our national interest alone would be our guiding principle.

Jacob Jose Kalarickal,

Dubai

* * *

Even though the deal does not annul India’s sovereign right to conduct a nuclear test, such a right is worth nothing if its use can play havoc with India’s nuclear power programme. India cannot solely depend on the good offices of the U.S. and the good sense of the NSG to mitigate the adverse consequences of a post-deal nuclear test. The government is trying to construct a nuclear edifice on an unsafe foundation.

K. Vijayakumar,

Bangalore

* * *

Even though we have unilaterally declared a moratorium on nuclear tests, a situation may arise when we need to conduct another test. The argument that the 123 agreement does not prevent us from testing a nuclear device is totally meaningless.

After installing nuclear power plants with American assistance, how can we afford to test a nuclear device especially when it has been confirmed that the entire fissile material would be taken away once a test is conducted? Thousands of crores will go down the drain. By entering into the agreement, we are subjecting ourselves to nuclear blackmail.

R. Venkita Giri,

Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

The U.S. control over our sovereign option to conduct nuclear tests causes concern. Our nuclear liberty is at stake. The conflicting views of the two countries over the agreement need more clarifications.

Gururajan Ramachandran,

Udhagamandalam

* * *

One thing the deal will do is bind India to Gandhigiri. It will act as a deterrent against nuclear tests in future, which means our country will be forced to explore the non-violent path. Why can’t we erase from our minds our obsession with nuclear tests?

As for the fear that the country is making a paradigm shift in its foreign policy and moving closer to the Americans, it stems from the twin fallacy that strategic alliances remain constant forever and that signing of any cooperation with the U.S. means fighting alongside its armies in every battle.

Joshua Kalapati,

Chennai

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